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Spiced Festive Cake

Prep Time20 minsCook Time30 minsTotal Time50 mins

 250 g cooked pumpkin
 8 pitted medjool dates
 60 ml hot water
 ¼ cup cacao
 ½ tbsp baking powder
 2 tsp cinnamon
 2 tsp ginger
 1 ½ tsp cardamom
 2 cups wholemeal SR flour
 1 orange, zest only
 40 g blanched almonds, chopped if going in the cake, or leave whole to decorate top
 100 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids or higher), roughly chopped
 150 g butter
 3 eggs
 150 g full fat ricotta
 2 oranges, juice only
1

Preheat the oven to fan forced 160°C/180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Line a 20-22cm cake tin.

2

If your pumpkin is raw - roughly chop and steam it.

3

Roughly chop the dates and soak in the hot water in a tall jug or bowl with high sides. Set aside.

4

Sift cacao, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom into a large bowl with the flour, orange zest, almonds and chocolate and mix. Set aside.

5

Melt the butter and pour over the dates and hot water, add the pumpkin and eggs and blitz to combine using a stick blender.

6

Add wet ingredients to the dry and fold through until just combined (it may look a little stodgy).

7

Tip cake batter into pre-lined tin and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate in the oven and bake for a further 10-15 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

8

While baking, make the ricotta drizzle - combine ricotta with orange juice, mix until smooth.

9

Let the cake cool completely before topping generously with the ricotta.

10

Garnish with dried orange slices if you wish, and serve between ten.